Valve-operating device



April 21, 1925. 1,534,509

W. FALWELL VALVE OPERATING DEVICE Filed Sept. 9. 1924 17 'I 11 ii I 14 f as '27? .7.9 .70 d630, 34 30 |lhil Z9 25 h I I lnl n 22 12 I 2 21. a9 .39 J; '9 33 M 35 H 7 507? Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

UNITED STATES WR-AY FALWELL, or erroneous, massnonnsnrrs.

VALVE-OPERATING DEVICE.

Application filed September 9, 1924.

One object of the invention is to provide a construction in which the parts for perform ing the quick operation of the valves will be mounted in a unit which is readily applicable to the engine without material modification of the parts which are now in place and which can be anchored in position very easily so that it cannot work loose and yet can be removed, if desired. The invention also involves a construction in which the pivoted levers do not have to be bored to pivot them and locate them in the proper place. In this way these levers can just be set in and they are so arranged and shaped that they will not work loose nor get out of place, but will operate ellectively.

An important feature of this invention consists in the provision of a wearing plate for receiving the wear from the levers of such a nature that it will not have any sliding action 011 the bottom of the valve stem and therefore the valve stem will not wear out at thispoint, thus overcoming an objection that has been encountered heretofore in connection with this particular type oi device.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompany-' ing drawingsyin which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the centers of a series of valves and stems of the engineof a Ford car showing a preferred embodiment of this invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view. on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a plan of the separate unit and improving the smoothness of operation.

Serial No. 736,798.

adapted to be inserted in the engine and adapted to carry the elements of this invention.

I have shown the invention as applied to a type of engine well known, being used universally at the present time in Ford cars, and the exact construction of this invention as shown in the drawings is particularly adapted to that type of car. Yet the principle of the invention is capable of use with most internal combustion engines. In the drawing 1 have shown theusual valve stems l1 and valve lifters or plungers 12. Each valve stem is provided with a valve spring seat or washer 13, the motion of which is limited by a pin 14 through the valve stem. 1 have shown the usual valve cage 15 and valve stem guide 16, the valve cage being provided with the usual valve seats 17 on which the valve 18 secured to thevalve stem is adapted to seat. Surrounding a portion of the valve stem guide 16 and seated in the spring seat or washer 13 is a helical spring 20 for holding the valve closed with a yielding pressure. As usual, the valve is operated through the stem 12 by a cam 21 011 a cam shaft 22. The parts thus far described are of course, duplicated for each valve and are common in this class of engines and I do not claim these features.

This invention in itself involves acasing 25 of sheet metal which is struck out so as to have the desired shape. This casing is rectangular in/t'orm and in the presentcase I have shown it in double form so that it is adapted to be used with two of the valve plungers 12. The casing is provided witha perforation for receiving a bolt 27 which passes through it and is held up against the valve case, being adjusted to press against it and securely hold the casing 25 in position against spacing washers 28 on the frame. Nuts 29 are used to receive the proper adj ustinent.

There are two holes in the bottom of the casing 25 for receiving the plungers 12. Instead of having the plungers engage the valve stems or instead of having them all in one piece, I cut one of them off so as to separate them from each other a distance substantially equal to the height of the casing.

The casing 25 is made with pairs of holes through its opposite side walls and in these are placed pivot pins 30, four of them in the form shown. These pins are mounted a little above the bottom of the casing and are intended to constitute the means for pivotally mounting four cam levers 31. Each of these cam levers is made with a semi cylindrical depression 32 in the top and with a quadrant- 33 centered at this depression and constituting the tip end of the lever. The levers are put in place with the pins 30 in the depressions 32. The quadrant is provided to permit the lever to swing on its pivot and yet remain in contact with the bottom surface of the casing so that it cannot become detached from the pivot pin. By this simple means I avoid the necessity of boring holes in cam levers and materially reduce other expense. All the work that is done on them is on the exterior surfaces. Yet the assembling is very easily performed.

It willbe noticed that these levers are arranged in pairs and that the levers of one pair project toward each other from their pivots and have upwardly extending cams 34 with rounded ends which come substantially in contact with each other but never press on each other. They project up above the level of the pivot pins 30 to support block 35 above them. This block preferably is made of sheet steel bent into shape to provide a flat upper surface on which rests the valve stem 11. It is bent down at the sides to form guides 39 sliding in opposite grooves in the casing. It has a concave lower surface, or rather a surface at the bottom having two reverscly slanting walls 36, for receiving between them the two cams 34. These two cams are alike. They support this block 35 at two points a slight distance apart when it is in its lowest position and keep it from wabbling on account of this method of support.

In operation, assuming the parts to start in the position shown at the left in Fig. 1, the turning of the cam 21 raises the plunger 12 on the top of which the lower ends of the cams 34 rest. This turns the levers individually from the position shown at the left to the position shown at the right in that figure. On account of the construction of these levers 31 that has been described they remain in engagement with their pivot pins and are forced to rotate about them, but the plunger 1:2 forces them up and on account of the change of angle the upper tips of the cams 8st are not only forced upwardly but are forced back away from each other along the inclined surfaces 36. This has a multi plying raising action on the valve stem 11 through the block which supports it and yet there is no wear on the bottom of the valve stem. This block 35 is a separate piece inserted and can be made of hardened steel without any necessary modification of the valve stem itself so that the wear will come on it and on the cam levers and practically none of it will come on the valve stem and very little on the top of the plunger 12.

The result of this action is to rapidly raise or open the valve when the cam 21 acts to perform this function and to close it also has been introduced to overcome this objection. Although shown as applied to a Ford engine it can be introduced in most other kinds with suitable modifications.

Although I have illustrated and described only a single form of the invention I am aware of the fact that modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to. be limited to all the details of construction herein shown and described but what I do. claim is 1. A valve lifting device for an internal combustion engine having a valve plunger, said lifting device comprising a sheet metal casing and means for holding it firmly in position in an engine, said casing having side guide grooves and pivot pins across it spaced from the bottom thereof, pairs of pivot levers having semi-circular grooves across their upper surfaces for receiving said pins, each lever having a quadrant at its lower outer end centered at the center of its groove of such a radius as to bear on the bottom of the casing at all times, whereby the turning of said levers on their pins will not result in the disengagement of the levers from the pivot pins on account of the conact of the quadrant with the bottom of the casing, said levers having means for engaging the top of the valve plunger, and means at a distance therefrom guided in said grooves co-operating with said levers for raising the valve stem in alignment with the plunger, whereby the rapidity of downward and upward motion of the valve stem over that of the plunger is increased.

2. A valve lifting device for an internal combustion engine having a valve plunger, said lifting device comprising a pair of parallel pivot pins, pairs of pivot levers having semi-circular grooves across their upper surfaces for receiving said pins, each lo or having a quadrant at its lower outer end centered at the center of its groove, a floor spaced below the pins far enough for the quadrants to bear on it throughoutthe mo tion of the levers, whereby the turning of said levers on their pins will not result in the disengageniient of the levers from the pivot pins on account of the contact of the quadrant with the floor, said levers having means for engaging the top'of the plunger of the engine, and means at a distance therefrom co-operating with said levers for raising the valve stem in alignment with the plunger.

3. In a valve lifting device of the character described, the combination of a pair of pivot pins in fixed position, a pair of cam levers pivoted on the bottom surface of said pivot pins and extending inwardly therefrom, each cam lever having a cam on the end projecting upwardly from the lever, said cams having adjacent convex surfaces, and a block of hardened steel resting on the upwardly projecting ends of the cams and having a lower surface provided with oppositely slanting walls for receiving the thrust of the ends of said cams, whereby said block will be raised in a vertical direction without side motion at a rate more rapid than the bottoms of the came.

4. In a valve lifting device of the character described, the combination of a pair of pivot pins in fixed position, a pair of cam levers pivoted on the bottom surface of saidpivot pins and extending inwardly toward each other therefrom, each cam lever having a cam on the end projecting upwardly from the lever, said cams having convex surfaces and a block of hardened steel resting on the upwardly projecting ends of the cam and having a lower surface provided with oppositely slanting walls for receiving the thrust of the ends of said cams, whereby said block will be raised in a vertical direction without side motion.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

WRAY FALVVELL. 

